The national natural protected areas integration and optimization adjustment status was publicly announced. According to the information from the State Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Ministry of Natural Resources, the number of national natural protected areas will be integrated and optimized from the current number to a new number, with multiple natural protected areas being merged or abolished.

In recent days, multiple individuals related to the decommissioned nature reserves told the First Financial Daily reporter, "Although we had heard rumors before, the news still came as a bit of a surprise," "After being delisted, all aspects are facing major adjustments," "A significant portion of our previous efforts were dedicated to ecological protection. With the removal of the nature reserve designation, the direction of our work will undoubtedly undergo major changes, and we haven't yet figured out what to do next."

In the future, what will become of the multiple nature reserves that have been merged? The main reason is "no significant conservation value."

Guangdong Province is the birthplace of China's first nature reserve and the only demonstration province for nature reserve construction. According to the "Guangdong Provincial Natural Protected Areas Plan (—Year)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guangdong Plan") released by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Natural Resources and the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Bureau, as of the end of the year, the province has approved natural protected areas. The "Guangdong Plan" proposes to optimize the current status of natural protected areas across the province, establishing new natural protected areas, including nature reserves, forest nature parks, wetland nature parks, geological nature parks, marine nature parks, and rocky desert nature parks; no longer retaining natural protected areas, including nature reserves, forest nature parks, and wetland nature parks; and converting multiple natural protected areas, with some nature parks being converted into nature reserves and some nature reserves into nature parks.

In the list of "natural protected areas no longer retained" in Guangdong Province, there is one national-level natural protected area, which is the Guangdong Guanyin Mountain National Forest Park, and the rest are municipal and county-level natural protected areas. The Guanyin Mountain National Forest Park was established in a certain year with the approval of the former State Forestry Administration, and after many years of development, it has accumulated many historical legacy issues. Other natural protected areas that have been revoked in Guangdong Province, such as the Yunfu Xinxing Longtanhu County-level Wetland Park, the Zhanjiang Suixi Luogangling Municipal Forest Park, and the Foshan Shunde Chencun County-level Forest Park, also face various problems.

The "Guangdong Planning" outlines that the majority of the revoked nature reserves lacked defined boundaries, functional zoning, management institutions, and were unable to be effectively managed on the ground. Additionally, these nature reserves were significantly impacted by human activities, with large areas of villages, permanent basic farmland, and collective commercial forests within their boundaries, resulting in lower conservation value and lacking the characteristics of originality, typicality, and representativeness, as well as clear conservation targets. The revoked nature parks, on the other hand, were characterized by a high presence of urban built-up areas and villages, which created conflicts with human activities. After addressing problematic sites, the remaining nature parks were severely fragmented, with the integrity of their ecological resources lost, and their conservation value was relatively low.

According to the "Anhui Province Natural Protected Areas Integration and Optimization Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "Anhui Plan"), the integration and optimization involve existing natural protected areas. After integration and optimization, the total number of natural protected areas in the province is . New natural protected areas have been established. Natural protected areas have been revoked, mainly wetland parks, including national-level natural protected areas. Most of the revoked areas were "natural protected areas that have essentially lost their natural attributes, lack clear protection targets, have no significant conservation value, and cannot be practically implemented."

The "Heilongjiang Province Natural Protected Areas Integration and Optimization Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "Heilongjiang Plan") states that before the integration and optimization, the province had a total of various natural protected areas established legally and in accordance with regulations. After the integration and optimization, the total number of various natural protected areas in the province was . A total of natural protected areas were revoked, including natural protected areas that were revoked due to complete or nearly complete spatial overlap with other natural protected areas, and natural protected areas that were revoked after scientific evaluation due to the loss of natural attributes and lack of protection value. By level, the number of national, provincial, municipal, and county-level natural protected areas was , , , and , respectively. The Harbin National Forest Park, Daqing National Forest Park, Heilongjiang Xi'an District Hailang River National Wetland Park, Heilongjiang Muling Leifeng River National Wetland Park, and Heilongjiang Qinggang Mammoth Geological Park (national level) were revoked; the Mudan Peak National Forest Park, Wudalianchi National Forest Park, Heilongjiang Anbang River National Wetland Park, Heilongjiang Xingkai Lake National Geological Park, and Heilongjiang Wudalianchi Volcanic Landform National Geological Park were all integrated and merged.

A large number of nature reserves are facing transformation. According to the First Financial Journalist, after the national integration and optimization adjustment of nature reserves was announced, the responsible persons of the merged nature reserves held different attitudes. Some expressed "not knowing what to do next" and "feeling a bit panicked," while others said "it's very helpless," "it doesn't matter," and "without the sign, it's still a park, and normal operations won't be greatly affected."

Taking Guangdong Guanyin Mountain National Forest Park as an example, over the years, the park has not only protected its ecology but also continuously expanded its cultural and tourism industries, attracting over 10,000 visitors annually and hosting nearly a hundred special events each year. Its goal is to transform the park into a comprehensive cultural tourism project that integrates forest wellness, cultural experiences, and marriage vows. However, the removal of the "National Forest Park" designation has had significant impacts. For instance, the park's largest entrance sign cannot be displayed, a large number of signs and symbols need to be changed, the management committee and related institutions may need to be adjusted, and existing seals and signatures can no longer be used.

According to First Financial News reporters, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Natural Resources and the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Bureau have outlined the general direction for the transformation of nature reserves into nature parks: where the original nature reserve overlaps with a nature park and is dominated by landscape resources, it is more suitable to be designated as a nature park, coordinating its protection and reasonable utilization to fulfill its ecological recreation functions; where human activities have a significant impact on the original nature reserve, with large areas of villages, permanent basic farmland, and collective commercial forests within the region, making management difficult, it is no longer suitable for strict protection as a nature reserve. Instead, it should be transformed into a nature park, serving as a supplement to ecological protection.

Harbin National Forest Park is located in Xiangfang District, Harbin, and was established in a certain year. It is the only national forest park in the country located within the urban area of a large city, with a forest coverage rate of 100%. The park is surrounded by many universities, most of which have guesthouses to accommodate tourists from all over. The Mudan Peak National Forest Park, located in Mudanjiang City, is composed of the Mudan Pagoda Scenic Area, the Small Guilin Scenic Area, the Ski Resort and Holiday Area, and the Original Forest Exploration Area. After these parks were delisted, their functions for tourism and leisure may be further expanded.

According to First Financial Daily reporters, after the Heilongjiang Qinggang Mammoth Geological Park was revoked, Qinggang County will continue to focus on the mission of "spreading fossil culture and telling fossil stories," further developing the Qinggang cultural and tourism industry. The Qinggang Quaternary Paleobiological Fossil Museum has already opened, aiming to become the first stop for ecological tourism in Qinggang.

The "Heilongjiang Plan" states that after the integration and optimization, the spatial overlap between natural protected areas has been eliminated, resolving most of the historical issues, alleviating conflicts between the production and living of indigenous residents and protected area management, and leaving room for community development, allowing for more freedom in community economic development. Therefore, the integration and optimization of natural protected areas will positively promote regional socio-economic development.

The "Anhui Plan" also states that after the integration and optimization of natural protected areas, conflicts and issues involving the interests of the people have been resolved, easing the tension between the development of people's livelihoods and environmental protection, effectively reducing unnecessary disputes, and resolving some management difficulties.

The goal of integrated optimization is to streamline relationships, resolve contradictions, and promote development, without creating new problems while failing to address old ones. A forestry expert involved in the integration and optimization of local nature reserves told the First Financial Daily reporter that being disbanded is not necessarily a bad thing, "With the constraints of the nature reserve identity removed, development can be pursued with confidence and boldness, as long as the ecological environment is not damaged."